With the surrendered planetary governor, Lu Li, assisting them, the campaign against the remaining Tentacle Tree colonial planets proceeded so quickly that even Benjamin himself was somewhat surprised. As the "former Second Executive of the Home Planet Governor's Office," Lu Li personally issued a surrender notice through the civilization-wide emergency broadcast channel. When recording the video, his tentacles were still trembling slightly, and the panic in his crystal eyes had not entirely faded. Yet the words he spoke were exceptionally clear-headed. "Our original social structure has already completely collapsed in the war. There is no meaning in continuing to resist. And they have promised to preserve our species and civilization."
This broadcast was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, rapidly spreading layer by layer through the Tentacle Tree Civilization's administrative network.
Coupled with the Black Giant Legion's simultaneous physical advance, the effect became apparent at once.
Aside from a handful of planets tightly controlled by the private armies of major governors, which were still putting up a desperate resistance, the overwhelming majority of colonies actively lowered their orbital defenses the moment they received the notice.
On some planets, the Black Giants had not even truly landed yet. They had merely shown themselves in orbit when the governor's office on the ground rushed to send out a surrender signal first.
Order collapsed even faster than Benjamin had expected.
Yet the cost of that collapse was far lower than he had originally estimated.
According to the Wizard Civilization's standard model, when a Level Six technological civilization suffered a full-scale invasion, its population loss rate would usually fall between fifteen and thirty percent.
Only some truly died in battle. More perished in secondary disasters following the collapse of social order: famine, riots, paralyzed transportation, interrupted medical supplies, administrative failure...
Yet the Tentacle